Anaxyelidae
| Cedar wood wasp | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Syntexis libocedrii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Symphyta |
| Superfamily: | Anaxyeloidea |
| Family: | Anaxyelidae |
| Genus: | Syntexis |
| Species: | S. libocedrii |
| Binomial name | |
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Syntexis libocedrii Rohwer, 1915 |
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The Anaxyelidae are a wood wasp family within the Symphyta, containing only a single living species, Syntexis libocedrii, (also called the cedar wood wasp or incense-cedar wood wasp), though the family has an extensive Mesozoic fossil record; this species is thus a "living fossil". It has the remarkable behavior of ovipositing only in recently burnt incense-cedar (Calocedrus), red cedar (Thuja) or juniper (Juniperus); the wood is often still smoldering when the wasp is laying its eggs, and the larvae develop in the wood. It occurs from the mountains of central California to southern British Columbia, but is very rarely seen, except by firefighters.
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